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167
evidence, whilst the second consisted of attendances for
clinical, X-ray, and pathological examinations in 1936.
Out of '200 cases originally notified as pulmonary tuberculosis
with negative sputum, 44 or 22 per cent. had since
been proved positive, the numbers which were possibly
tubercular being 73 or 36.5 per cent., whilst 83 or 41.5 per
cent. were not only non-tuberculous, but proved to be
suffering from other and definite diseases.
After deduction of the 44 positive cases, 156 cases were
submitted to a full investigation and the " after results
in 1936 were obtained.
Out of 156 cases in the T.B. Minus group, for the decade
1926-1935, all were alive, except 15 " lost sight of " or
"removed from the area," and only 8 were dead, 5 of
which were proved by X-rav and post-mortem examinations
to be due to cancer of the lung, one unproved, but suspected
to be cancer of the lung, and 2 with pleurisy complicated
by fluid, occurring in elderly patients.
The number of deaths, therefore, in 10 years in the T.B.
Minus group was extremely small, and none of them could
be definitely attributed to tuberculosis.
These figures, therefore, definitely bring forward the plea
for higher standards and conditions for notification, and
conclusive evidence before the acceptance of such notifications,
since notifications are received from various sources,
only a few being made at the Dispensary.
To diminish the numbers in this group by the elimination
of the non-tuberculous conditions, would result in more
accurate statistics, and this could be accomplished by the
increase of X-ray examinations, a policy and practice which
has been adopted in Hammersmith for many years.
The full clinical material, together with the statistical
records and observations in relation to the above investigation
have been written as an original article by the